KEENE, N.H. – Plymouth State University used an 18-6 spurt over the final 8:03 to run away from Keene State College, 68-56, in Little East Conference (LEC) men's basketball action at Spaulding Gymnasium on Wednesday night.
Knotted at 50-50 with just over eight minutes to play, the Panthers catapulted into a 12-1 run while holding the Owls without a field goal for over seven minutes to lock up the win.
Freshman
Yansel Reyes (Manchester, N.H.) led the way with 15 points, while senior
Devin Cooper (Newfield, N.Y.) and sophomore
Kyler Bosse (Manchester, N.H.) added 13 apiece. Freshman
Elijah Swanson (Meredith, N.H.) was huge off the bench with a game high 12 rebounds.
The Panthers defense held Keene State to its lowest offensive output in over two years.
With the win Plymouth State (8-8, 3-4 LEC) avenged an earlier season loss to the Owls, while simultaneously handing Keene State (13-3, 8-1 LEC) its first conference loss of the year.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 68, Keene State 56
- Plymouth State (8-8, 3-4 LEC)
- Keene State (13-3, 8-1 LEC)
Top Performers:
How it Happened:
- The Owls sped out to a 10-2 lead with 16:29 on the clock in the first half.
- PSU cut the deficit to one (21-20) with 8:26 remaining.
- The Panthers took their first lead of the game, 26-25, at the 3:45 mark.
- Both teams traded blows to close out the first half tied at 32-32.
- PSU opened the second half with a five-point lead (39-34) at 18:02.
- The Owls bounced back, regaining the advantage just a minute later.
- It remained a back-and-forth, one-possession game until the teams found themselves deadlocked at 50-50 with 8:24 on the clock.
- The Panthers then exploded on a 12-1 run to take an 11-point lead (62-51) with 2:10 remaining in the contest.
- Keene State was forced to foul and could not get close in the end.
By the Numbers:
- Plymouth State shot 43.4% (23-of-53) for the game, and an even 50% (12-of-24) in the second half.
- PSU outrebounded the Owls, 41-38.
- There were nine ties and seven lead changes in the contest.
- The Panthers' reserves outscored their counterparts by a 16-5 margin.
- PSU scored 17 points off turnovers compared to Keene State's seven.
- The teams split the season series with each team winning on the opponent's home court.
Up Next:
- The Panthers continue on the road to face LEC opponent University of Massachusetts Boston on Friday (Jan. 28). Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. in the Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium.
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